Illuminative directory-board.



0. T. WEBBER.

ILLUMINATIVE DIRECTORY BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27,1917- Patented Dec. 31, 1 918,v

I l R I R V Z J J 7 a 7 1 I IE mam "M M m E 0 0 M fl f E M n J 3 1 F 0 m 6 0 R 2W4 M on a 0 5 6 O O 1 p mi my m6 z m 0 191114 vzoo OWEN TH ZOMAS WEBBER, 0F HONOLULU, TERRITORY'OF HAWAII.

ILLUMINATIVE DIRECTORY-BOARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

Application filed July 27, 1917. Serial No. 183,130.

To all whom it may concern: V

Be it known that I, OWEN T. WEBBnn, a

subject of the King of Great Britain, having declared his intention of becoming a citizen of the United States, residlng at Honolulu, in the county of Honolulu and Territory of Hawaii, have invented new and useful Improvements in Illuminative D1- rectory-Boards, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an illuminative directory board or indicator designed for disposition in a lobby, main hallway, or other part of a bulding to show whether or not the occupants of the several offices or rooms in the building are in or out; and the primary object of the invention is to provide a simple and effective means whereby callers or other persons may be readily informed at some given point Whether the occupant of a room or oflice is out and thereby economize in time and efiort in endeavoring to find or interview various persons that may be sought, with material advantages in social and business expedition and convenience.

The improved directory board is adapted. -for -general use and may be disposed not only in hotels, apartment houses and other large community dwellings, but is also equally serviceable in the business of firms, wholesale stores, or any concern which has several department heads and the names of the various officers or members of the firm trance into the various offices or rooms of a business house, and whereby also the presence or absence of the oflicers or members of a firm may be readily ascertained.

The invention consists in the constructio and arrangement of the several parts which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a directory board embodying the features of the invention.

Fig. 2is a transverse vertical section taken in the plane of the line 22, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken in the plane2of the line 3-3, Fig. 1.

The numeral 5 designates a board of any suitable shape, material and dimensions, and therein a plurality of rectangular slots or openings 6 is provided. These slots or openings 6 are vertically alined and are located preferably nearer one side edge of the board than the other side edge. Above and below the slots or openings 6 on the front of the board are holding or clip flanges 7 which are arranged suitable distances above and below the upper and lower walls of each slot or opening; and in these clip' flanges translucent name plates or strips 8 are removably mounted and have painted or otherwise applied thereon the names of the occupants ofthe rooms of the building, the corresponding rooms being represented by numerals, as at 9, in transverse relation to the said name plates, there being one room number directly in alinement with each name plate. The slots or openings 6 are of less dimensions than the name plates, but the names on the plates are disposed over-the slots or openings.

. On the back of the board 5 over the rear portions of the slots or openings 6 is a plurality of carriers 10, each having a dished body 11 and a surrounding flange 12, "the upper ortion of the flange being hinged to an attaching plate 13, a at 14. The center of the back of the dished body 11 is provided with lamp sockets 15, two being shown in the present instance and arranged on opposite sides of the vertical center of the body and in longitudinal alinement. Within the sockets 15 incandescent electric lights 16 are removably secured, the sockets being formed with screw-corrugations or thread to receive the corresponding portions or sockets of the lamps 16. The carriers are so applied to the rear portion of the board that the bulbs of the electric lamps 16 will slightly project into and be in central relation with respect to the slots or openings 6; and the inner surfaces of the dished bodie 11 of the carriers are formed as reflectors or have re fleeting material applied thereto. When the carriers 10 are closed against the back of the board, the surrounding flange 12 fits closely against the rear surface of the board and all of the light rays are concentrated relatively to or reflected through the slots or openings 6 and brought to bear with advantageous illuminating effect on the translucent name plates 8 held against the front portion of the said slots or openings. When it is desired to remove and replace or'otherwise manipulate the lamps 16 of any one of the carriers, the latter is raised, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and either one or both of the lamps may be taken out and replaced by new lamps with very little trouble, and subsequently the carrier in which the lamps have been changed or repaired may be closed in normal position. By' hinging the carriers at their upper portions they will always tend to remain closed, as will be readily understood. g

The electric lamps 16 have circuit wires 17 and 18 connected thereto, and in circuit with these wires may be any suitable switch means located adjacent to or at a distance from the directory board and operable to cause the electric lamps 16 to glow or to extinguish said lamps, in accordance with the presence or absence from a building or office, or a roomin the latter, of the person or persons indicated by the name plates. If a person goes out of his. office or room in the building or place of business where the improved directory board is installed, the electric lamps behind the name plate corresponding to said person may be extinguished, either automatically or by notification to an operator controlling the said board, and when said person, returns the electric lamps will be caused to glow by the same means. This directory board may also be used as'a means for indicating whether or not-any particular room or rooms in a building are unoccupied or are forrent, and under such conditions the name plates-referring to these Vacant rooms may carry suchinformation.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a directory board of the class 'speci-' fied, the combination of a board having a series of vertically alined transverse slots extending therethrough and a series of room numbers also in vertical alinement and individually disposed opposite each slot on the face of the board, a transparent name plate over the front portion of each slot, the slot being nearly as long as each name plate thereof, and a hinged carrier of inclosingform atthe back of the boardover each slot, said carrier having electric light-s disposed therein in longitudinal alinement and so arranged that the bulbs of the electric lights partially project into the rear portions of the slot in rear of the name plates to illuminate the latter. 7

2. In a directory board of the class specified, the combination of a board having a plurality of vertically alined slots extending from a point adjacent to one side edge trans- .versely of the board toward the center of the latter, the face of the board in transverse alinement with relation to each slot havmg a room number thereon andall of the room numbers being vertically alined, trans-' parent name plates removably mounted over the front portions of the slots and exposed' at the front side of the board, each "name plate being in transverse alinement with one of the room numbers, and carriers "applied over and completely covering the rear portions of the slots and hinged at their upper portions for upward movement and having therein electric lamps in longitudinal aline- Jment and provided with suitable electrical 

